One of my goals this year is to get back into shape - or some semblance thereof. So far, I am on the right track. I started keeping track of my calorie intake on the weekend and returned to the gym for the first time in close to a year on Monday morning and have been there every day since. I learned a few years ago that it is easier for me to go to the gym every day instead of every other day. It becomes part of my daily routine and harder to find excuses to avoid going. It has only been a few days back in this regime and I have already learned a few things.

Today many people are setting resolutions for the 2016 year and some will stick to those resolutions. I am not a resolution person. I am a results guy. Last year I set out two big hairy audacious goals for the year. I had just started a new business and set out some targets for that business and I also set a goal to generate some revenue from this blog. This year my goals are not quite so audacious, or hairy for that matter.

It is Hallowe’en plus 17 days and in those 17 days I may have consumed some of the kids’ candy. In that time I have noticed that my pants were starting to feel a little more snug. It has been many months since I was last at the gym. I’m not really sure how long exactly… I had started thinking that it was time to go back. Then this weekend my 13 month old was sitting beside me on the couch and examining me. She was playing with the hair on my arm and then looking up my t-shirt sleeve – I guess to see what was up there exactly. Then she pulled up the bottom of my shirt to see what was under there [Read more…]

Well it seems to be fairly official. A few weeks ago I had dropped three pounds, then went to the east coast and ate lobster – regaining the three pounds in the process. Last week I dropped a pound, this week I regained it exactly which has also returned me to my pre and post-lobster weights. I am still losing fat and gaining strength and cardio capacity so maybe the 210- 213 range is the weight I am supposed to be.

I am going to continue to work on reducing weight, but I think that the focus will more be on continuing to burn fat and build muscle. If my weight does go down during that process, good for me, but it is not going to be primary objective. I feel that I am eating well and making good food choices – with allowances for ice cream and beer through the summer months. I know that I am getting physically stronger every week that I go to the gym and I know that I can run alongside my kids while they ride their bikes to school without getting tired or falling behind. I also know I could go further if I chose to take up running, which is not likely to happen. I ride my bike to work whenever possible and I can carry a baby in a carrier for hours on end while garage sale-ing without significant discomfort – other than the oval of sweat on my chest that comes from being attached to a little furnace while walking. I am going to stop writing these accountability posts because I am happy with what I have accomplished and while I have not make big strides towards reducing my overall weight, I have improved my overall health and that is more important. I’ll write periodically about my journey, but only as I feel that I achieve particular milestones.